Abigail Spanberger, self-described as a former CIA operative and a
Girl Scout leader, narrowly defeated Tea Party favorite Rep. Dave Brat in the
Richmond suburbs.

And Jennifer Wexton, a state senator since 2014, rolled over
longtime Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock in the Northern Virginia suburbs.

Precisely how many women will be in Congress depends on
still-undecided races. One thing is clear, though: Trump can’t ignore women
anymore.

Women voters helped drive the blue wave, such as it was, by generally
choosing Democrats for Congress. Fifty-five percent of women voted for a
Democratic congressional candidate, and only 41 percent for a Republican, the
AP’s exit poll reported. Men’s votes were more evenly split.

In 2016, Trump won 53 percent of white women’s votes. In the
midterms, 50 percent of white women voted for a Democrat for Congress and 46
percent for a Republican, according to exit polls.

Republicans acknowledge the party is turning off white,
college-educated, suburban women. Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor,
R-Virginia, who lost to Brat four years ago, blames “cultural signals” sent by the
party.

It’s incumbent on GOP legislators to step up with an agenda both men
and women can support, including help for child care and health care, Cantor
told Bloomberg Radio Wednesday.

But with the House in Democratic hands for the first time since
2010, Trump will need to work with Democrats or watch his agenda grind to a
halt. The GOP strengthened its control of the Senate Tuesday by two or three
senators, but the House has the power of the purse.

The incoming freshman class of House Democrats is refreshingly
diverse – with the first two Muslim women, first two Native American women, and
the first black woman member from Massachusetts. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of
New York is the youngest member of Congress at 29.

It’s tempting to feel exuberant about the new attitudes and policies
the freshmen women will bring, but the reality is sobering. Stalemate is more
likely than progress in divided government.

Before anything else, the new members must decide whether to
support House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, an effective party builder and a
lightning rod for critics, for Speaker.

Spanberger is among the few newly elected representatives who
promises not to support Pelosi “under any circumstances.” Luria and Wexton have
said they’ll wait and see.

Trump, of all people, says Pelosi deserves to be Speaker and he’ll
even help her get elected to the post. He claims he’s sincere; others think
he’s setting her up.

Pelosi expects to regain the Speaker’s gavel. She says subpoena
power may become a negotiating tool as Democratic committee chairmen dig into Trump’s
businesses and his administration.

Trump threatens a “warlike posture” if Democrats investigate him,
vowing to retaliate with investigations of Democrats.

“They can play that game, but we can play it better, because we
have a thing called the United States Senate,” he said.

Such talk by both sides makes gridlock almost inevitable -- and
nobody voted for that.